RSICC strives to understand the fundamental basis for sponsors’ nuclear physics, mathematics, and engineering needs. Attending scientific workshops and conferences increases RSICC staff awareness of current trends and deficiencies in computational modeling. Problems and issues that are unresolved will be made available to code developers to promote the improvements in new code releases. RSICC maintains a database of issues and fixes for code installation, verification, and use. New versions of codes sent to customers are ‘recycled’ to RSICC for further dissemination, thereby, increasing the value-added of codes in a cost efficient manner.

RSICC staff tests each code before its release, documents and resolves difficulties or problem areas, and assists users with their questions.

Promoting the use of nuclear software models to solve science and engineering problems with nuclear power, medicine, space travel, safety, and materials

RSICC promotes the cooperation of other laboratories and researchers by providing project initiatives and coordination to support applications related to nuclear power, medicine, health, accelerators, space propulsion, shielding, material fatigue, and safety. RSICC organizes international workshops and cosponsors training events around the world.

RSICC continuously streamlines operations to increase its value-added work on high-quality code testing, rapid package distribution, and updated maintenance of contributed software and data while using it’s funding efficiently. Data from nuclear science bibliographic references to benchmark experiments have been reformatted and stored in databases that allow rapid data integration according to users’ interests.

Promoting international collaboration

RSICC has an active exchange program with the Nuclear Energy Agency Data Bank. RSICC also began an exchange program with Japan’s JAERI/RIST facility in the fall of 2001. Visits between different non-US laboratory staff create awareness of common needs between scientific programs of the different countries. Collaboration reduces expensive redundancies in new developments of codes, data, and applications.

Enhancing the public education in the nuclear engineering fields

Summer intern professors, graduate and undergraduate students, IAEA fellows and visitors from other research laboratories regularly come to RSICC to do benchmark studies for nuclear fission, fusion, and accelerators. The NESLS internship program is a long-term graduate project to enable NE students work opportunities with ORNL research staff. The NESLS work increases the viability of new PhD’s for research laboratory positions, allows wider range of laboratory project development, and ultimately reduces project completion costs.